>>45733297He doesn't have anything to do with Sophocles outside of being a smart guy. He's named after the endemic Hawaiian plant Sophora chrysophylla or Mamane. This is why his name in other languages is Mamane or Chris. Sophocles is Sopha + chrys.
Mamane is a plant that prefers growing in dryer areas of Hawaii. It does grow taller in wetter areas, but it's usually short in the dry, mountainous, areas where it's the dominant tree up until the tree line. This likely influenced his design and placement at Hokulani Observatory.
Mamane plants are also notable due to having seeds that are poisonous to birds. You can sometimes find bunches of dead introduced birds surrounding the base of trees due to consuming seeds. This likely influenced him being an electric type trainer due to the advantage against flying types, and the yellow color of mamane flowers.
Also Chris Chan due to his name and the fact that his ace is an electric pikaclone hedgehog. 